More local buyers needed at livestock auctions

A senior official in the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Land Reform has raised concern about the low buyer turnout at livestock auctions in the northern communal areas (NCAs), saying strong buyer participation is crucial for sustaining communal farmers’ livelihoods.

Ministry chief agricultural technician at Eenhana in the Ohangwena region Immanuel Eelu, who was the auctioneer at an auction at Mpasinkuru Auction Pen at Nepara in the Kavango West region last Saturday, says only two main buyers were recorded.

The NCAs consist of the Kavango East, Kavango West, Oshikoto, Oshana, Omusati, Ohangwena and Kunene regions.

Eelu says animal auctions are crucial to communal farmers because they serve as platforms for them to sell their animals at fair and competitive prices.

He says more local buyers are needed for cattle to be sold, adding that this encourages farmers to sell their cattle.

The Saturday auction saw few buyers and animals. The organisers of the auction say they only received 70 head of cattle, 14 goats and five sheep for the auction, which generated N$639 400 and the highest price for an animal was N$14 000.

Winni Metzger, a member of the Mpasinkuru Auction organising committee, attributes the decrease in the number of cattle to the low prices, saying this discouraged some farmers from selling their cattle.

However, Eelu says the decrease in animals to be sold was caused by another auction on the same day at Brave Gate, which is not far from Nepara. He says many farmers took their cattle to Brave Gate, with more buyers also attending the event.

Eelu suggests more awareness for communal farmers on the importance of animal auctions.

“These auctions are held in their localities where they can sell their animals at a fair price and there are no travelling costs,” he says.

Earlier this month auctioneer George Haufiku, an official in the agriculture ministry at Mashare in the Kavango East region, said the Mpasinkuru auction suffers from a lack of local buyers and mainly depends on buyers from the Oshana, Ohangwena, Oshikoto and Omusati regions.

Haufiku, who was the auctioneer at Bravo Gate in the Oshikoto region on Saturday, told The Namibian that the auction generated N$798 450, and the highest price was N$21 000 for an ox.

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